On 28/01/14 17:53, Tim Watts wrote:
On Tuesday 28 January 2014 17:49 The Medway Handyman wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I often work for people of a certain ethnic origin, who always,
always,
always haggle about the final bill. It's a deep rooted cultural
thing.

Even though you have quoted a price for a job in advance, they will
always, always, always try to get a few quid knocked off when it comes
to payment time.

So I've adopted the tactic of adding £10 or £20 to the estimate,
knowing full well they always, always, always haggle.

I did that today - and they just paid up, no haggling!

I feel slightly guilty now......


It suggests that you are perhaps underquoting a little, normally. In
this case you have not conned anyone. Price quoted, job done, price
paid.

If a large proportion of your customer base are used to haggling, it is
arguably better to add a buffer, then allow then to feel that they've
"won" by getting £10-20 off. You're happy, they're happy, everyone wins.

Quoting the actual price you want and refusing to budge is clearly going
to alientate some of your customers, so that would be a wrong tactic.

We worked a variant of that on commercial situations, We bunged 15% on
top and gave them a '15% discount for payment in 30 days'

Worked bloody wonders on the cashflow.


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.